Author: The Conversation / Source: The Next Web
An article by the New York Times on the Riverside terrorist attacks in Nairobi has provoked fury and consternation in Kenya.
The article features a photograph by AP credited to the photographer Khalil Senusi showing bodies of victims of the attack slumped on chairs and covered in blood.
A similar photograph has also been used by UK’s Daily Mail online with faces of the victims pixelated.Public criticism was initially directed at the author of the article, Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura, who according to her Twitter handle, is the newspaper’s in-coming bureau chief for East Africa.
She dismissed the criticism telling readers to direct their anger to the newspaper’s photo department, claiming that she didn’t have a say in the choice of photos that go with her articles.
The newspaper eventually responded. But it didn’t apologize. Instead it justified its decision to use the photo. It acknowledged that some readers were upset by the photo. But, responders at the newspaper said, they
try to be sensitive in how they handle both words and images in such situations.
The newspaper argued further that it was important
to give readers a clear picture of the horror of the act and this includes showing pictures that are not sensationalized but show a real sense of the situation.
It claimed to “take the same approach wherever something like this happens- balancing the need for sensitivity and respect with the mission of showing the reality of these events”.
In essence, the paper is claiming that it has done nothing wrong by publishing images of the dead.
The question the incident raises is: is it ethical for newspapers to publish pictures of the deceased victims of terror?
Covering terror
Reporting violent terrorist acts is one of the most challenging jobs for journalists. The relationship between journalism and terrorism is complex – think of the often cited argument that the media is the oxygen that feeds terrorism.
This isn’t true. But it’s becoming increasingly clear that terrorist organizations are now quite adept at manipulating the media. Terror attacks no longer just target victims, they also target the public.
The aim is to cause both physical and psychological harm which is achieved through the creation of shock, panic and a sense of helplessness.
In fact, it can be argued that terrorist attacks are designed to incite fear much more than to cause death. To support this argument, a UNESCO report…
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